The Horrible Things Your Business Email Says Behind Your Back and How to Stop It

This the Art of Professionalism, a periodic series of articles that deal with basic — yet important — business skills that we might not have learned. Being a solopreneur does not excuse us from needing to master these fundamental lessons!

“I’m careless and will screw up details on your project.”

A clear and short subject line is essential, especially if the message is your first contact with someone. With so many messages competing for attention and the ever-present nuisance of spam, lots of folks use the subject line to decide, in an instant, whether to open a message or click “Delete.”

“Everything’s about ME and I’ll get to your stuff later.”

• You wouldn’t walk up to someone you’ve never met and start at the midpoint of a conversation, so begin your note with a salutation and the recipient’s full name. If you’re not a fan of the old reliable “Dear,” try “Hello” and the person’s name. “Hi” is more informal but may work depending on the person and the company. Of course, once you’ve established contact with someone, the tone of your correspondence will let you know when (or if) you can address them by their first name.

• End with a respectful close. It’s the same transition and courtesy as saying goodbye when taking leave of someone in person. The old fashioned “Sincerely” still works remarkably well as does “Regards” and the more personable “Best Regards.” As you establish a connection, you can progress to a more informal sign off.

• Include a signature line. But, don’t go overboard; three to five lines is enough.

“I like to express my individuality but will be an unreliable flake to work with.”

• Write in full, punctuated sentences but don’t ramble. If there are more than three commas in a sentence, it’s too long. Keep paragraphs to three to five sentences. Use capitals where appropriate but don’t write in all caps – it offends some people and makes you look insensitive.

• Don’t “fonticize.” Stick to a sensible easily read font like Times New Roman or Arial. The default in your email program is fine.

• Slang, jargon, or text-ese will confuse your reader if they don’t understand them. Stay away from emoticons ( ☺ ☹ ) as well, at least in a first communication. I confess to using them, as well as the occasional LOL, but only after becoming acquainted.

“I’m clueless and will foul up the simplest things if you hire me.”

• Spell Check. It’s there, use it.

• Read your entire message before clicking send. Spell Check doesn’t catch everything and it won’t catch where you’ve left words out or said the wrong thing.

• Would you be upset if this email were posted for the whole world to see? In today’s electronic world, the likelihood that your communications, even private ones, can become public is high. Make sure you won’t regret it.

“BCC:, is that, like, before the cavemen?”

Don’t blab email addresses by sending an email to a list of people with their addresses visible in the To: or Carbon Copy (CC:) fields. Send the message to yourself and use Blind Carbon Copy (BCC:) for the list. Making this mistake says you’re either uninformed or don’t know how to use your email program and the reaction ranges from snickering to spam-phobic rage.

Did I leave something out? Tell me in the comments or share your own email story.

Monette Satterfield is a precision Wordcrafter who can make you shine. If you’re a business or creative professional struggling with writing a biography, product description or other promotional material, Monette will help you express your extraordinary story in clear, direct yet evocative language that illuminates you. Visit her at ShinyDesigns.com.